Beam splitter



Seamh R00 FIG. 6 Q 61) J L N2 J 60 FIG. 7.

FIG. 8

NJ 70 a 71 a a 1 H K G a 5 5 N2 4 STEPHEN M. mcNEILLE J INVENT OR y 1946- s M. MacNEl LLE ,731

BEAM SPLITTER Filed April 1, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Rn 2 FIG. 9. an 7 H a,,., 1L AYER n-l, INDEXN QINTERFACE n-I LAYER 3, INDEX N 2 INTERFACE 3 FIG .10.

WIDTH 0F VISIBLE o SPECTRUM REFLECTIVITY OF MULTI-LAYER mus MEAN RE .667 t .6 2 l .5 '5 4 l I r I I I I I I I r I I I I WA ELENGTH I R v N TE STEPHENM.M401\EILLE (A/ao) INVENTOR BY W ATT'Y & AG'T Patented July 9, 1946 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEAM SPLITTER Stephen M. MacNeille, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 1, 1943, Serial No. 481,391

12 Claims. (Cl. 88-65) 1 2 This invention relates to beam splitters, parvention. Since the visible spectrum lies well ticularly those of the type used in range finders. within a range of wavelengths equivalent to one It is an object of the invention to provide a octave, a beam splitter made according to the beam splitter in which the refiewgngmspresent inventionto be exact for a wavelength in ted rays are polarized at ri u angle to each of about 550 millimicrons will be highly efflcient usta throughout the visible spectrum.

2 tially complete. s, erred emi- For use in range finders and similar instrument of the invention results in two rays each ments, such a beam splitter can be made up in of which is at least 95% polarized. the form of a compound prism with the inter- According to the invention, suchabeam splitter fering layers between two components of the includes a multilayer material whose thicknesses prism. The angle at which the light passes are such that optical interference is used to conthrough each of the interfering layers is, as trol the ratio of the reflected to transmitted light pointed out above, determined according to and whose orientation is such with respectto the Brewster's angle. Hence, the angle at which the incident light that the light strikes the interfaces light passes through the glass or other material of the layers approximately at Brewsters angle of which the prism components are made is fixed to control the polarization of the beams. It is according to Snells law. A preferred form of well known that at Brewsters angle the reflected prism has the entrance and exit faces of the prism light is 100% polarized. Therefore, if the total perpendicular to the light beams. In a simple reflection is made to equal 50% of the incident beam splitter there is one entrance face and two light, all of the light vibrating perpendicular to exit faces to a prism. Each of these faces should the plane of reflection will be reflected, and be at an angle to the interfering layers equal to hence, all of the transmitted light will also be the required angle of incidence at the layers. The polarized, but at right angles to the polarization manner in which this angle may be varied will 7 of the reflected beam. This 50% reflection is 5 be apparent from the various exampl s described approximately provided by the present invention, below in connection with the accompanying J by including layers of alternately high and low drawings, in which:

0 index, with at least one of the layers having an Fig. 1 is a greatly magnified cross-section of an optical thickness equivalent to a quarter-waver ng layer according to the invention;

length of the incident light. The effect is greatly Figs. 2 and 3 show two forms of compound enhanced by having several layers of alternating p i s using S a y high and low index, with each layer having this Fig. 4 shows a simple filter employing the ineffective quarter wavelength thickness. The actvention;

ing thickness depends on the index of the material Fig. 5 shows an arrangement alternative to and on Brewster's angle within the material as g.

will be pointed out in detail below. Another char- Fig. 6 shows a sheet material in cross section;

acteristic of Brewsters angle is that the reflected Fig. 7 shows a beam splitter m d p f m ray and refracted ray are at an angle of exsections of the material showninFig. 6,v

actly 90. Fig. 8 shows the trigonometry within one layer,

Using seven layers of alternating high and and low index, I have found that the beams will be Figs. 9 and 10 form Pa t f a athematical about 99.5% polarized for light of the exact waveanalysis of the phenomenon which occurs in the length and the exact angle of incidence specified. invention.

However, there is some tolerance allowed and, of In Fig. 1 a multilayer material made up of course, some tolerance is necessary both in the alternate layers II and I2 is between two transangle of incidence and in the wavelength of the parent materials In and I3. A ray It strikes the light. Even a collimated beam of light may have interface between the layers In and l I at an angle rays striking a beam splitter from angles differing of incidence A and is refracted at an angle B such as much as 5 from the axis of the beam but one that N: sin A=N1 sin B where N3 is the index of would still get a useful amount of polarization refraction of the layer l0 and N1 is the index of from a beam splitter made according to the refraction of the layer IL The layers l0 and I2 present invention. Similarly, the wavelength of have indices of refraction less than that of layer the light may vary from to the value for H. The ray is refracted at the interface between which the layer thicknesses are exactly correct, the layer I I and I2 50 that N1 sin B=N2 sin 0.

without nullifying the utility of the present in- 66 The angle A is selected so that B+C=; that is, so that the ray passes from the layer H into the layer l2 at Brewster's angle. As shown in Fig. 1 this ray continues to strike the successive interfaces at Brewsters angle. or course, if N2==N3, the angle A will equal the angle C and will also be at Brewsters angle, but in general this is not convenient for two reasons which tend to conflict. The first reason is that in order to get the maximum effect with the least number of layers, the index N2 should be as low as possible and the index N1 should be as high as possible. If N3 is selected to be approximately the same as N2, the angle A becomes fairly large and for many purposes, one would prefer to have it equal to about 45. On the other hand, one cannot have a material in which Brewster's angle is 45 and still get a high percentage of reflection from an interface, with available materials. Thus the best solution to these conflicting requirements is obtained with components whose index is intermediate to that of the layers; as in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, if the index N4 of the layer l3 equals N3, the transmitted ray I1 is parallel to the incidental ray l4.

Thus the preferred embodiment of the invention has the index N3 differ from N: and preferably between N1 and N2. Since the angle A is thus slightly different from the Brewster angle for N3, the reflected ray l5 will have a small percent of un-polarized light in it. However, this has been taken into account in my calculations. The reflected ray IS, on the other hand, is completely polarized. As shown in Fig. 1 the successive re- 4m N times the quarter wavelength of the light and the layer l2 must have a thickness of mr N 2 times this quarter wavelength. At any interface, Brewsters angle depends on both indices of refraction and in the present invention, the optimum layer thicknesses are those effective at Brewsters angle; hence the layer thicknesses involve both indices in each case as indicated by the above mathematical expressions.

In Fig. 2 a compound prism including components and 2| is made up so that the angle of incidence D is 45. The incident ray 22 strikes a multilayer material located between the components 20 and 2| to give a transmitted ray 24 and a reflected ray 23. The entrance surface 25 and the exit surfaces 26 and 21 are all at 45 to the multilayer material.

In Fig. 3 the components 30 and 3| are of a lower index of refraction so that the angle of incidence is E and the incident ray 32 and the reflected and transmitted rays 33 and 34 pass respectively through the entrance and exit faces 35, 36 and 31 perpendicularly, when these faces are at an angle E to the interlayer.

In. Fig. 4 the interlayer 40 is cemented be- 4 tween two planofllms and the incident light H is divided into a reflected ray 42 and a transmitted ray 43.

The theory of these three cases shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 will now be outlined briefly. Accepted terminology will be used wherein light is said to sin (or-- 6) sin -l- 6) tan (a-B) Retan B) 2 sin (1 cos 6 sin (a+fl) cos (oz-I where Ra and R9 are the amplitudes of the reflected beams vibrating respectively perpendicular and parallel to the plane of reflection and T: and Tp are transmitted amplitudes of these beams. More exactly, these are the proportions of the incident amplitude. Intensity is of course obtained by squaring the amplitude. 11 and p are the angles of incidence and; of refraction.

When a+fi=, Rp=0 which means that the reflected ray is made up entirely of light vibrating perpendicular to the plane of reflection.

Further, when a+ 9=90, it can be shown that (as in Fig. 8)

where N1 and N: are the refractive indices of materials at the interface in question. Thus, the angles a and p are fixed as soon as materials are selected. As applied to Fig. 1, this theory applies to the angles B and C. For example, if Ni. is 2.40 as for zinc sulflde and N2 is 1.38 as for evaporated magnesium fluoride, the angle B is about 30 and the angle C is about 60. To get an angle equal to about 45 in order to provide a prism of the shape shown in Fig. 2, the components must be made of a glass having an index of about N3=1.69. With this arrangement N3 sin A=N1 sin B which equals N 1N g 1/ 1 i' 2 With six interfaces as shown in Fig. 1 the total reflectance R5 is over 99% for light of one wavelength polarized (in azimuth s) perpendicular to the plane of incidence and if this wavelength is selected in the green it is over throughout the visible spectrum. From four interfaces the reflectance would be about 95.2% in the green and slightly less for the whole spectrum. Also, for a 1 shift in the angle of incidence, to allow for convergence or divergence of the incident Search R beam, the reflectivity of light polarized parallel to the plane of incidence (i. e. azimuth 9) would rise from zero only to about /z%, again assuming six interfaces. The tolerances for any other particular arrangement can be similarly computed.

In Fig. 3 a prism material is selected to have an index of refraction Na equal to that of the low index interfering layer, 1. e. equal to Na. If Ni=2.4 and Na=Na=L5 the angle A should be such that sin A equals w/ 1+Nl Thus A equals 65 40' approximately. In Fig. 3 this angle is marked E to distinguish from the angle of incidence in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4 the index of refraction of the pianofllm layers binding the interfering multilayer may be neglected when computing the correct angle of incidence. The angle of incidence on this outer layer is the same as if the light were striking the face of the multilayers directly. From the equation sin A it is seen that to give the Brewsterian relation within the multilayer the angle of incidence is independent of whether the high or low index layer comes first and if both N1 and N: are greater than this angle of incidence becomes imaginary. Of course when a layer of medium index is between one of lower index and one of higher index, its thickness must be equivalent to a half wavelength rather than a quarter wavelength to give addititive interference.

The reflectivity R of X interfaces can be computed from the formula R =tanh tanhr] where r is the ratio of reflected to incident amplitude at each surface and the hyperbolic tangents are obtained from any suitable tables. This formula holds where all the layers have a thickness such that the reflectivities interfere additively. If the components have an index lower or higher than both of the layers, the layers immediately adjacent to the components should have a thickness equivalent to a half wavelength but the rest of the interlayers are equivalent to a quarter wavelength as above.

The formula used above for actual thickness can be computed trigonometrically from Fig. 8. The incident ray reaching the point H at an angle of incidence a is reflected toward L at an angle a and refracted toward J at an'angle p. The refracted ray is reflected from J to K also at an angle ,6 and is then refracted at an angle a. This is all apparent from the figure. The line KL is drawn perpendicular to the reflected ray so that the angle at L is 90. The optical path difference which determines the interference between the ray ID from H and the ray II from K equals HJ-i-JK-HL, since the line IQ: represents the wave front. Of course, the distances HJ and JK must be multiplied by Na since optical distance is the important factor and similarly the distance I-H. must be multiplied by N1. Therefore, to give constructive interference which requires that the ray and H be a half wave out of phase (the other half wave being provided .by the known change of phase at one interface) where G is the thickness of the layer =gggg-N sin a(2G tan 5) but N1 sin a=Nz sin 3 and therefore A-2GNI cos B 2 (l-sin fl) =2GN; cos 5 Therefore A 4N, cos B But from the relationship for Brewster's angle,

In Fig. 5, the layers 50 are first coated on prisms 5i and then are cemented together by a cement 52 having an index of refraction N4. If the layer 52 is made thin enough, such an arrangement is satisfactory for most purposes. On

the other hand, if the layer 52 has an appreciable thickness, this particular beam splitter is useful only in collimated light where the offset of the reflected beams does not interfere with the optical quality of the system in which the beam splitter is used.

In Fig. 6 a thin supporting layer 60 having a low index of refraction (about 1.5 say) is coated with a quarter wavelength layer ii (the quarter wavelength being computed at the proper angle of incidence as discussed above). Methods of coating such layers are described in Nadeau and Hilborn application 358,512, filed September 26, 1940. The resulting film is then cut into sections as shown by the broken lines 82 and a pile of layers is made as shown in Fig. '7. These layers are cemented together; the cemented layer is not shown and may have an index equal to N: so as to be ineffective optically. This pile is then cemented between materials 63 such as prisms having an index of refraction N: which may be equal to N: as discussed in connection with Fig. 3 or may be of any particular value required to give the desired angle of incidence as in Fig. 2. In Fig. 7 the multilayer material consists of a plurality of quarter wavelength layers 8| interleaved with relatively thick layers 60 and is hence most useful in a collimated beam.

Mathematical analysis This analysis is included purely for mathematicians as an explanation of the theory involved in the reflection of light from multilayer fllms. It demonstrates, however, a phenomenon practically unique in nature. The desired reflectivity (of light vibrati perpendicular to the plane of incidence) varies with wavelength according to an oscillating function between 0 and 100% throughout the spectrum, but just before this function enters the visible spectrum it rises to a value greater than it remains there until it passes through the visible range. and then it reverts to its oscillating form. This efliciency of the invention throughout the visible spectrum is obviously most fortunate.

Consider a light beam of wavelength x incident upon a series of 11. parallel non-scattering isotropic layers forming n interfaces, the top layer being thick (e. g. the prism discussed above) and the top surface of the top layer hence not being involved in this analysis. The indices of the layers and of the bounding media are represented by No to Nn as shown in Fig. 9, the incident beam striking surface n first and at an angle an. The subsequent angles are of course such that N sin Gm=Nn-1 sin (1n-1=N0 sin do The phase change T introduced by the double traversal of any layer (the top thin layer n-l. say) as discussed in connection with Fig. 8 is equal to Y where G is the thickness of the layer. For constructive interference T must equal 1r (or a multiple thereof) this simplification of the analysis will be introduced at the proper time. Also, due

to the phase shift difference between reflection n+ n-l +n.Rn-1

It will be noticed that for the last interface (number l), R1=r1. All of the amplitudes are measured in the bounding medium n in the above expression. Complexities introduced by absorption in each layer are not here considered. From Fresnels laws it is known that Tn for light vibrating perpendicular to the plane of incidence (as-11H) Sin 1|+ nl) and for light vibrating parallel to the plane of incidence nm) tan ..-1) It happens that when the thickness of the lay- I ers is such that T=k1r where k is an integer, the

equation for reflectivity can be conveniently converted to one. involving hyperbolic tangents and tables of these functions can then be used in calculating a particular value. When T=k1r,

Let

. R,.=tanh P.

and V r,,=tanh p,

then

Therefore,

n=Pn+ p-1 which may be expanded to its individual terms and added, and in general any value may be specifically calculated. When the layers consist of two substances alternating Tn=-Tnl and if the 70 value for each layer is odd Rn=tanh [n tanhrn-il Rs=tanh 6 tanh- .5

Since reflectivity is the square of the amplitude R e=.9944 for light vibrating perpendicularly and 0 for light vibrating parallel to the plane of incidence.

Now to find the effect of different wavelengths,

assume that T1.=1r for M, i. e., that the abovecomputations were made for some standard wavelength in. Thus we already know that for \o, T=1r and Rs (perpendicular) =.9972 and for )\o, T=21r and Rs (perpendicular) =0. In fact R6=.9972 for )\=)\o, /3M, /5)) etc. and equals zero for )\o, AM, etc. There are other wavelength values for which Rs equals zero and the exact values can only be calculated by elaborating the original equation for Rn+1. The actual calculations are laborious, but for anyone interested in them, (1) the general equation and (2) the simplified equation for six layers of the same optical thickness and alternate layers of the same material are given below.

Figure 10 shows a graph of the second equation, the wavelength scale being given as a ratio, 1. e., logarithmically.

General Equation l II 'II z m+ 2 :(o,-n+m+ =1 r k j=1 all divided by It will be noted in Fig. 10, that if the standard wavelength is M=510 millimicrons (i. e., if the op- Search R tical thickness of each layer is one quarter of 510 millimicrons at the angle at which light travels through that layer) the value of R28 remains above 97% for the visible spectrum, and when this is integrated against the visibility curve would be about 99%.

Having thus described various embodiments of my invention, I wish to point out that it is not limited to these structures but is of the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A multilayer material for polarizing light of wavelength 7\ comprising a plurality of thin transparent layers each of which is of uniform thickness and forms a refracting interface with the adjacent layers, the alternating and intervening layers having different indices of refraction N1 and N: respectively, the alternate layers each havingathickness WN1=+N2= iNl and the intervening layers each having a thickness m 4N, which causes constructive optical interference to light reflected at Brewsters angle and which hence causes increased reflectivity at said angle.

2. A multilayer material according to claim 1 having at least four interfaces spaced to give said constructive optical interference and hence to increase the ratio of reflected t0 transmitted light at Brewsters angle.

3. A multilayer material according to claim 1 having six interfaces spaced to give said constructive optical interference at Brewsters angle.

4. A multilayer material according to claim 1 in which the thicknesses are determined precisely with respect to the indices of refraction for green light.

5. A compound prism for beam splitting and polarizing light over a wave length range of said prism having two transparent components, one entrance and two exit faces, and sandwiched between the two components a plurality of thin transparent layers each of which is of uniform thickness and forms a retracting interface with the adjacent layer or components, alternate layers having one index of refraction N1 and the intervening layer having a different index of refraction N2, said alternate layers each having a thickness approximating and said intervening layers each having a thickness approximating the layers and components forming at least four interfaces and the entrance and exit faces of the prism being oriented to transmit light striking the interfaces between the layers at Brewsters angle.

6. A prism according to claim 5 in which the components have an index of refraction N: and the entrance and exit faces of the prism are each at angle A to the layers where 7. A prism according to claim 5 in which the alternate layers are zinc sulfide and the intervening layers are a fluoride.

8. A prism according to claim 5 in which the alternate layers have an index of refraction about 2.4 and the intervening layers have an index less than 1.55.

9. A prism according to claim 5 in which the alternate layers have an index N1 about 2.4, the intervening layers have an index N2 between 1.35 and 1.50, and the components have an index N: about 1.7.

10. A compound prism for polarizing light over the visible spectrum, said prism having two transparent components, one entrance and two exit faces, and sandwiched between the two components a plurality of thin transparent layers each of which is of uniform thickness and forms a refracting interface with the adjacent layers or components, alternate layers having one index of refraction N1 and the intervening layers having a different index of refraction N2, said altersin A= nate layers each having a thickness approximating 14O /N '+N T N millimicrons and said intervening layers each having a thickness approximating millimicrons, the layers and components forming at least four interfaces and the entrance and exit faces of the prism being oriented to transmit light striking the interface between the layers at Brewsters angle.

11. A prism according to claim 10 in which the components have an index of refraction N: and the entrance and exit faces of the prism are each at an angle A to the layers where A Sm N3w/N1 N' 12. A prism according to claim 10 in which the components have an index of refraction N: where N 1N1 N N z+ is approximately .7 and the components are 45 degree prisms with the layers between their hipotenuse faces.

STEPHEN M. MAcNEIILE.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,403,731. July 9, 1946.

STEPHEN M. MACNEILLE It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Column 1, lines 33 and 34, for

acting read actual; column 5, line 15, for 65 read 63; column 8, lines 55 and 56,

for that portion of the equation reading m,-a,+a,+e-a. read i( i" b+'l" n and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent O fiice.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of October, A. D. 1946.

LESLIE FRAZER,

First Assistant Gammiaeioner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,403,731. July 9, 1946.

STEPHEN M. MACNEILLE It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Column 1, lines 33 and 34, for acting read actual; column 5, line 15, for 65 read 63; column 8, lines 55 and 56, for that portion of the equation reading and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of October, A. D. 1946.

LESLIE FRAZER,

First Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

